a new beginning

Occupy Mars! Space Center Houston celebrates the momentous Curiosity landing andNASA's triumphant return

More than 1,000 fans stopped by Space Center Houston to watch theonce-in-a-lifetime event.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
One of the first images from Curiosity showing one of the rover's wheels infront of an extra-terrestrial horizon.
Photo by NASA/JPL-Caltech
Guests, lined up to the left, had the chance to operate a remote-controlledrover through a simulation of the Martian landscpae.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
NASA's John Connelly led the evening as Curiosity made its descent.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
A model of Curiosity made its own descent at Space Center Houston when word camefrom mission control that the rover made a successful landing on Mars.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
Curiosity, shown here in a digital rendering, will search the Martian surfacefor signs of life that may have existed before the Red Planet became cold anddry.
Attendees had a chance to get up close and personal with everything frommeteorites to rocks from Mars.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
Entry for the LEGO rover-building contest
Photo by Tyler Rudick

"Everybody take a deep breath," NASA's John Connolly said from a temporary stage at Space Center Houston early Monday morning. "The seven minutes of terror starts . . . now."

The crowd of more than 1,000 Mars fanatics scrambled to their seats in the food court to watch live feeds of the control room inside the Jet Propulsion Lab at the California Institute of Technology as the Curiosity rover began its precarious descent towards the Red Planet.

John Connolly from NASA marked a new era for the U.S. space program with a single word — "touchdown" — as a miniature model of Curiosity gently dropped from the ceiling.

Minutes later, Connolly marked a new era for the U.S. space program with a single word — "touchdown." During an eruption of applause, a miniature model of Curiosity gently dropped from the ceiling as a smoke machine switched into gear. Blue lights flashed while the Kanye West song, "Spaceship," played.

For an evening family event scheduled until 2 a.m., Space Center Houston's "Seven Minutes of Terror" party was bumping with space fans ranging from first graders to octogenarian NASA retirees. There were rocks from Mars, remote-controlled rover races, LEGO contests, Martian bingo, pieces of meteorites and, not one, but two astronauts in attendance.

"There's an amazing mix of families and devoted science fans here tonight," said Ken Harms, an associate with Space Center's education department. "I'm excited to be a part of it."

But before word of the landing worked its way to major news outlets last week, some at the popular museum complex worried that widespread public misconceptions about NASA's future — mainly, that the cancelled shuttle program spelled the organization's demise — were taking a toll.

"We were only up to about 500 sold tickets a few days ago, but since Friday and Saturday sales skyrocketed," said operations leader Andrew Vargas.

"I think the Mars landing shows people that NASA's still alive," said Space Center Houston's Andrew Vargas. "The space shuttle program closed, but there's a whole new chapter up ahead."

"This is easily one of the biggest events we've had here. I think the Mars landing shows people that NASA's still alive. The space shuttle program closed, but there's a whole new chapter up ahead."

While Connolly noted that clear color images won't be available for several more days, an early test picture was beamed back to Earth showing the wheel of rover in front of a Martian horizon.

"Unfortunately, the really cool stuff won't start happening for a few more days," he reminded the audience as many in the crowd began to line up for a celebratory pancake breakfast, compliments of McDonalds.

Throughout the week, researchers at the California Institute of Technology will assess the condition of the one-ton rover after its nine-month journey from Cape Canaveral.

Once cleared by technicians, Curiosity will make its way across the arid landscape looking for signs of life that may have existed when the planet was warmer and maintained a degree of water.

unspecified

Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

undefined

Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”